Pool Info: Swimming Pool Enzymes

For public pools with high level of usage, or small baby pools with high levels of… babies, using enzymes reduces the chemical and filtering demand of the pool water while keeping pool water clean and clear. The following information is adapted from two manufacturers of pool enzyme chemicals, and Natural Chemistry.

Enzyme pool products provide a natural method for combating organic matter in the pool water. Pool enzymes act as a catalyst in very specific chemical reactions; feeding on oils, fats, detergents, wastes and vegetative cellular matter like dead algae cells or [very] small bits of debris from trees and shrubbery surrounding the pool.

Enzymes are present in every living thing, and though they are not themselves "alive", they consume organic matter as if they were. This is why enzymes are used in oil spill cleanup operations. Enzymes digest oil, naturally.

Sun-tan oils, cosmetics, body oils & wastes and decaying micro-vegetation are just some of the organics that contaminate water in pools and spas. These combine with air-borne soot and dust, and with the sanitizer used to keep the pool bacteria free, to create:

Water line build-up or a "bathtub ring"

Chloramine build-up and other chemical odors.

Short cycling of filters, "gumming up" of filter media and reduced filter life.

Cloudy water due to organic saturation.

Natural Chemistry's Pool Perfect and Pool First Aid are natural enzyme based formulas coupled with natural botanical extracts that biodegrade organics in your pool water. Everywhere in nature, natural enzymes are busy breaking down complex organics to their original chemical building blocks. That's how your body's digestion works, that's how oil spills are cleaned up, and that's how composting works. Oils and organics are recycled back to their original base components. By eliminating organics continually in your pool, several benefits occur:

Chemical Shocking is reduced, often by 50% or more.

Filter media soaking or cleaning with harsh, toxic chemicals is reduced or eliminated.

Scum line on the tile is eliminated, and prevented from coming back.

Fat caused foaming of pool water is also eliminated.

Pool water is noticeably clearer, cleaner, and softer.

Proven under the toughest conditions, Natural Chemistry's enzymes are used on a grand scale:

Walt Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon and Resorts.

Universal Studios - "JAWS" water feature.

Wet N' Wild Water Parks, around the country.

The Pool Janitor's Pool, as well as 2,000 other resorts, water parks and cities.

Great Lakes Bio-Chemical introduced their Orb-3 line of pool and spa enzymes several years ago.

Pool enzymes condition water to naturally purge the pool of body oils, lotions, cosmetics, urine, and other organic materials, leaving your pool crystal clear and odorless. It is totally compatible with - and reduces the need for - any chemical treatments you might use.

It helps stabilize pH levels, avoid water upsets, retards the growth of slime and algae, and it's effective on scum lines. Pool enzymes cleanse water by removing organic material, and restore your residential pool to a clear, odor-free state. Typical pool chemicals minimize the signs of underlying water problems. Pool Enzymes utilize a diverse blend of broad spectrum enzymes to break down body oil, lotions, urine, feces and other organics.

Pool enzymes speed up the natural process to safely remove this organic material before it has a chance to cause problems with water clarity, excess slime and algae growth. Enzymes can be used with other water treatment chemicals to help stabilize pH, reduce water upsets and make your pool sparkle.